Calculation board power stage circuit, and calculation board

ABSTRACT

A power stage circuit and a calculation board. The power stage circuit includes an input circuit and an output circuit. The input circuit and the output circuit are electrically connected. The power stage circuit also includes a plurality of package pins. The plurality of package pins are respectively connected to the input circuit, the output circuit, and a power supply package unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Application No.PCT/CN2018/107104, filed on Sep. 21, 2018, which claims the priority toChinese Patent Application No. 201721222046.3, entitled “CALCULATIONBOARD POWER STAGE CIRCUIT, POWER SUPPLY PACKAGE UNIT, AND CALCULATIONBOARD”, filed on Sep. 21, 2017, the entire content of the aforementionedapplications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to power supply technologies,particularly to power circuits for calculation boards, power supplypackage units and the calculation boards.

BACKGROUND

Cryptocurrency mining is a process in which transactions for variousforms of cryptocurrency are verified and added to the blockchain digitalledger. Cryptocurrency mining has grown exponentially in recent yearswith the increased use of cryptocurrency. Each time a cryptocurrencytransaction is made, a cryptocurrency miner is responsible for ensuringthe authenticity of information and updating the blockchain with thetransaction. The mining process itself involves competing with othercryptocurrency miners to solve complicated mathematical problems withcryptographic hash functions that are associated with a block containingthe transaction data. The first cryptocurrency miner to crack the codeis rewarded by being able to authorize the transaction, and in returnfor the service provided, the cryptocurrency miner earns small certainamounts of cryptocurrency. In order to be competitive with othercryptocurrency miners, a cryptocurrency miner needs a computer forsolving the cryptographic hash functions.

Dedicated hardware, such as cryptocurrency mining machines have beenused for efficient cryptocurrency mining. These mining machines consumesignificant electrical power and require stable power supplies when theyare operating continuously. The central component of a mining machine isthe calculation board, also known as the hash board, which contains thecircuits and integrated circuit chips and performs the calculations ofthe hash functions. Currently, mining machines mainly use DC-DC powersources. However, these power sources are often unavailable due to highdemand and low supply. Therefore, alternative integrated circuit powersupply chips are sometimes used in place of the DC-DC power supplies.When an alternative power supply integrated circuit chip is used inplace of the DC-DC power supplies, the peripheral power circuit is oftennot compatible with the power supply. For each replaced power supplyintegrated circuit chip, the peripheral circuit may need to be revised,resulting in excessive number of different versions of the calculationboard, difficulty in maintenance, and increase in cost.

SUMMARY

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide an auxiliarycircuit and a power supply package unit for calculation boards ofcryptocurrency mining machines.

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a calculation board powerstage circuit. The calculation board power stage circuit includes aninput circuit and an output circuit. The input circuit and the outputcircuit are electrically connected. The calculation board power stagecircuit further includes a plurality of package pins. The plurality ofpackage pins are respectively connected to the input circuit, the outputcircuit, and a power supply package unit.

In some embodiments, the package pins comprise a set of eight packagepins, and at least one of the set of eight package pins is connected tothe input circuit, and at least one of the set of eight package pins isconnected to the output circuit.

In some embodiments, the set of the eight package pins include: a firstpin for an upper tube switch control output; a second pin for a lowertube switch control output; a third pin for a power stage switching nodeconnection and an upper tube driving circuit; a fourth pin for inputtinga voltage and providing a working bias voltage for an integrated circuitchip on a calculation board; a fifth pin for a reference zero potential;a sixth pin of a DC-DC enable control; a seventh pin for the DC-DCoutput voltage; and an eighth pin for feedback control and adjustment ofan output voltage.

In some embodiments, the input circuit comprises at least twosemiconductor field effect transistors connected in series, and thesemiconductor field effect transistors are electrically connected to thepackage pins.

In some embodiments, the output circuit is a voltage stabilizing circuitfor supplying a current and a stable voltage to one or more integratedcircuit chips to be powered on a calculation board.

In some embodiments, the power supply package unit comprising a powersupply integrated circuit, an auxiliary circuit, and one or more controlpins. The power supply integrated circuit is electrically connected tothe auxiliary circuit; the auxiliary circuit outputs to at least one ofthe control pins; and the one or more control pins are configured to beconnected to one or more package pins of a calculation board power stagecircuit.

In some embodiments, each of the control pins is configured to beelectrically connected to a corresponding package pin within a pluralityof package pins of a calculation board power stage circuit.

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a calculation board.The calculation board includes a power stage circuit, the power stagecircuit comprising an input circuit and an output circuit that areelectrically connected to each other, and a plurality of package pinsthat are respectively connected to the input circuit and the outputcircuit; a power supply package unit comprising a power supplyintegrated circuit, an auxiliary circuit, and one or more control pins;and an integrated circuit chip to be powered. The power supply packageunit is packaged to connect with the plurality of package pins of thepower stage circuit; and the integrated circuit chip is powered by thepower stage circuit.

In some embodiments, the at least one chip to be powered is connected inseries.

In some embodiments, the package pins of the power stage circuitcomprise a set of eight package pins, and at least one of the set ofeight package pins is connected to the input circuit, and at least oneof the set of eight package pins is connected to the output circuit.

In some embodiments, the set of the eight package pins of the powerstage circuit includes a first pin for an upper tube switch controloutput; a second pin for a lower tube switch control output; a third pinfor a power stage switching node connection and an upper tube drivingcircuit; a fourth pin for inputting a voltage and providing a workingbias voltage for an integrated circuit chip on a calculation board; afifth pin for a reference zero potential; a sixth pin of a DC-DC enablecontrol; a seventh pin for the DC-DC output voltage; and an eighth pinfor feedback control and adjustment of an output voltage.

In some embodiments, the input circuit includes at least twosemiconductor field effect transistors connected in series, and thesemiconductor field effect transistors are electrically connected to thepackage pins.

In some embodiments, the output circuit power stage circuit of the powerstage circuit is a voltage stabilizing circuit for supplying a currentand a stable voltage to one or more integrated circuit chips to bepowered on the calculation board.

In some embodiments, the auxiliary circuit of the power supply packageunit outputs to one of the control pins of the power supply packageunit; and the one or more control pins are connected to the one or morepackage pins of the calculation board power stage circuit.

In some embodiments, each of the control pins of power supply packageunit is connected to a corresponding package pin within the plurality ofpackage pins of the power stage circuit.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a calculation board.The calculation board includes a power stage circuit, the power stagecircuit comprising an input circuit and an output circuit that areelectrically connected to each other, and a plurality of package pinsthat are respectively connected to the input circuit and the outputcircuit; a power supply package unit; and an integrated circuit chip tobe powered. The power supply package unit is packaged to connect withthe plurality of package pins of the power stage circuit; and theintegrated circuit chip is powered by the power stage circuit.

In some embodiments, the power supply package unit includes a firstpower supply integrated circuit and a first auxiliary circuitcorresponding to the power supply integrated circuit.

In some embodiments, the power supply package unit includes a secondpower supply integrated circuit and a second auxiliary circuitcorresponding to the power supply integrated circuit, the second powersupply integrated circuit and the second auxiliary circuit replacing thefirst power supply integrated circuit and the first auxiliary circuit.

In another embodiment of the power circuit according to the presentdisclosure, the package pins include a set of eight package pins;wherein at least one of the eight package pins is connected to the inputcircuit, and at least one of the eight package pins is connected to theoutput circuit.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide a calculationboard power stage circuit, a power supply package unit and a calculationboard, and an input circuit and an output circuit arranged on thecalculation board. The input circuit and the output circuit areelectrically connected to each other and connected to the package pins.By placing the power supply integrated circuit chip and its power stagecircuit in the power supply package unit, and by connecting the generalcontrol pins to the package pins, various DC-DC power supplies can bemade compatible to the input circuit and the output circuit. By placinghigh power components on the calculation board, the power supply packageunit can be made small with less design difficulty and with improvedheat dissipation capacity, and the stability of the power supply can bemaintained.

The technical solution of the present disclosure will be furtherdescribed in detail below through the accompanying drawings andembodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure can be more clearly understood from the followingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a calculation boardpower stage circuit according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a specific example of the aboveembodiment of the calculation board power stage circuit of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of another specific example of the aboveembodiment of the calculation board power stage circuit of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a power supply packageunit according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of acalculation board according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of another specific example of the aboveembodiment of the calculation board of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Technical solutions of the present disclosure will be described withreference to the drawings. It will be appreciated that the describedembodiments are some rather than all of the embodiments of the presentdisclosure. Other embodiments conceived by those having ordinary skillsin the art on the basis of the described embodiments without inventiveefforts should fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which the same numbers refer to the same orsimilar elements unless otherwise specified.

Unless otherwise defined, all the technical and scientific terms usedherein have the same or similar meanings as generally understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art. As described herein, the terms used in thespecification of the present disclosure are intended to describe exampleembodiments, instead of limiting the present disclosure. The term“and/or” used herein includes any suitable combination of one or morerelated items listed.

It should also be understood that, for the convenience of description,the size of various parts shown are not drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of acalculation board power stage circuit according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the circuit may include: theinput circuit 11 and the output circuit 12 on the calculation board. Theinput circuit 11 and the output circuit 12 are electrically connected toeach other. Package pins 13 are connected to the input circuit 11 andthe output circuit 12, respectively. The package pins 13 are used tomount the packaged power supply package unit.

By placing the power supply integrated circuit chip and its auxiliarycircuit in the power supply package unit, and connecting the generalcontrol pins to the package pins, various DC-DC power supplies can bemade compatible to the input circuit 11 and output circuit 12. Byplacing high power components on the calculation board, the packagedpower supply package unit can be made small with reduced designdifficulty and improved heat dissipation capacity, and the stability ofthe power supply operation can be maintained.

In one example of the above embodiment of the calculation board powerstage circuit, the package pins 13 include a set of eight package pins.The power supply package unit is connected to the input circuit 11 by atleast one of eight package pins. It is also connected to the outputcircuit 12 by at least one of eight package pins.

In this embodiment, the package may provide eight package pins. Thepower supply package unit may include at least one control pin. It maybe packaged on the calculation board through the connection of thecontrol pins to the package pins. The power supply integrated circuitchip can be mounted onto the calculation board through a simple package,and the power supply package unit can be easily replaced, so that thepower supply package unit of the calculation board is not limited to aspecific type of power supply integrated circuit chip.

In one example of the above embodiment of the calculation board powerstage circuit, the eight package pins may include: a first pin for anupper tube switch control output; a second pin for a lower tube switchcontrol output; a third pin for a power stage switching node connectionand an upper tube driving circuit; a fourth pin for inputting a voltageand providing a working bias voltage for the integrated circuit chip; afifth pin for a reference zero potential; a sixth pin of the DC-DCenablement control; a seventh pin for the DC-DC output voltage; and aneighth pin for feedback control and adjustment of the output voltage.

In this embodiment, the first pin may be an HG pin, the second pin maybe an LG pin, the third pin may be an SW pin, and the fourth pin may bea VIN pin, The fifth pin can be the GND pin, the sixth pin can be the ENpin, the seventh pin can be the DCOUT pin, and the eighth pin can be theDAOUT pin.

According to an embodiment of the calculation board power stage circuitof the present disclosure, the input circuit 11 may include at least twosemiconductor field effect transistors connected in series. The twosemiconductor field effect transistors may be electrically connected tothe package pins.

The above embodiment provides only an example of the input circuit. Ingeneral, as long as the input circuit 11 can be used to supply a currentand a discharge path for the inductor, it may be used in a calculationboard power stage circuit.

According to still another embodiment of the power stage circuit of thecalculation board of the present disclosure, the output circuit 12 maybe a voltage stabilizing circuit for providing current and stablevoltage to the integrated circuit chips to be powered on the calculationboard.

The above embodiment provides an output circuit, which functions toprovide current and stable voltage to the load. Particularly, itprovides a supply current and stable voltage for the integrated circuitchips to be powered on the calculation board.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a specific example of the aboveembodiment of the calculation board power stage circuit of the presentdisclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the input circuit 11 and the outputcircuit 12 may be mounted on the calculation board. The input circuit 11and the output circuit 12 may be electrically connected. The inputcircuit 11 may include two semiconductor field effect transistorsconnected in series. The semiconductor field effect transistors may beelectrically connected to the package pins 13. The package pins 13 maybe used for installing the packaged power supply package unit.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of another specific example of the aboveembodiment of the calculation board power stage circuit of the presentdisclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the input circuit 11 and the outputcircuit 12 on the calculation board may be electrically connected. Thepower stage circuit may also include a power supply package unitconnected to the input circuit 11 and the output circuit 12,respectively.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a powersupply package unit according to the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 4, the apparatus of this embodiment may include a power integratedcircuit chip 41 and auxiliary circuit 42 that are interconnected. Theauxiliary circuit 42 may output to at least one control pin, and isconnected to the package pins of the calculation board power stagecircuit through each of the control pins.

The above embodiment of the present disclosure provides a packaged powersupply package unit. By placing any power supply integrated circuit chip41 in the power supply package unit, the power supply package unit canbe made small with reduced design difficulty. At the same time, theembodiment can use different power supply integrated circuit chips 41 byusing the proper corresponding auxiliary circuit 42, which overcomes thecompatibility difficulties in calculation board power supply systems.The auxiliary circuit 42 can be customized to accommodate differentpower supply integrated circuit chips 41. For each power supplyintegrated circuit chip 41, the data sheet often provides designprocedures for designing the auxiliary circuit 42 and necessaryinformation and the order for calculating the component values in theauxiliary circuit 42. As such, a variety of power supply integratedcircuit chips 41 can be made compatible to power the calculation board.

In one example of the above embodiment of the packaged power supplypackage unit of the present disclosure, each control pin may have acorresponding package pin in the eight package pins in the calculationboard power stage circuit.

Since the power supply package unit is required to be mounted on thecalculation board, the control pins of the power supply package unit mayhave corresponding package pins in the calculation board power stagecircuit to ensure the proper mounting of the power unit to thecalculation board.

In one example of the above embodiment of the power supply package unitof the present disclosure, the power supply package unit may beconnected to the package pins of the calculation board power stagecircuit. The power supply package unit may be connected to the packagepins of the calculation board power stage circuit by connecting thecontrol pins to corresponding package pins in the calculation boardpower stage circuit. By correctly connecting the control pins to thecorresponding package pins, the packaged power supply package unit maybe connected to the calculation board to supply power to the integratedcircuit chips to be powered on the calculation board.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of acalculation board according to the present disclosure. As shown in FIG.5, the calculation board of this embodiment may include a calculationboard power stage circuit 10 of any of the above embodiments of thepresent disclosure, a power supply package unit 40 of any of the aboveembodiments of the present disclosure, and at least one integratedcircuit chip 50 to be powered.

The power supply package unit 40 may be packaged within package pins ofthe calculation board power stage circuit 10, and may supply power to atleast one integrated circuit chip 50 on the calculation board powerstage circuit 10.

The above embodiment of the present disclosure provides a calculationboard. By modularizing the power supply integrated circuit chip,compatibility of a plurality of power supply integrated circuit chipscan be achieved. At the same time, the complexity of the modular packageis reduced, and the maintenance of the calculation board becomes easier.By placing high-power components in the calculation board power stagecircuit, and by installing a heat sink on the calculation board, thesystem can better dissipate heat, maintaining the stability of the powersupply function, and reducing the difficulty in designing thecalculation board. When replacing a power integrated circuit chip, thereis no need to redesign the calculation board. As a result, moreflexibility in hardware design may be achieved, and cost of replacementmay be reduced.

In one example of the above embodiment of the calculation board of thepresent disclosure, at least one of the integrated circuit chips to bepowered may be connected in series.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of another example of the above embodimentof the calculation board of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6,the “Module” in the figure is a power supply package unit. The inputcircuit and the output circuit constitute a calculation board powerstage circuit. The “IC chip” in the drawing are the integrated circuitchips to be powered by the power stage circuit.

The various embodiments in the present disclosure are described in aprogressive manner Each embodiment focuses on certain different aspectsfrom other embodiments, and the same or similar aspects between thevarious embodiments may be referred to each other. The embodied systembasically corresponds to the method embodiment, and the relevantcomponents can be referred to the partial description of the methodembodiment.

The description of the present disclosure has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The embodimentwas chosen and described in order to best explain the principles andembodiments of the disclosure. It will be understood by those skilled inthe art that the features described in the respective embodiments and/orclaims of the present disclosure can be combined in various ways, evenif such combinations are not explicitly described in the presentdisclosure. In particular, without departing from the spirit andteaching of the present disclosure, the features described in therespective embodiments and/or claims can be combined in various ways.All of these combinations fall within the scope of the presentdisclosure.

While the present disclosure has been shown and described with referenceto various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that various modifications in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited tothe above-described embodiments but should be determined by not only theappended claims but also the equivalents thereof.

It should be noted that the description of the foregoing embodiments ofthe electronic device may be similar to that of the foregoing methodembodiments, and the device embodiments have the same beneficial effectsas those of the method embodiments. Therefore, details may not bedescribed herein again. For technical details not disclosed in theembodiments of the electronic device of the present disclosure, thoseskilled in the art may understand according to the method embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

In the several embodiments provided in the present disclosure, it shouldbe understood that the disclosed device and method may be realized inother manners. The device embodiments described above are merelyexemplary. All functional modules or units in the embodiments of thepresent disclosure may all be integrated into one processing unit, oreach unit may be used as a single unit. Two or more units may beintegrated into one. The above integrated unit can either be implementedin the form of hardware, or in the form of hardware combined withsoftware functional units.

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice of thedisclosure provided herein. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spiritof the disclosure being indicated by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A calculation board power stage circuit,comprising: an input circuit and an output circuit, wherein the inputcircuit and the output circuit are electrically connected; and aplurality of package pins, wherein the plurality of package pins arerespectively connected to the input circuit, the output circuit, and apower supply package unit.
 2. The calculation board power stage circuitof claim 1, wherein the package pins comprise a set of eight packagepins, and at least one of the set of eight package pins is connected tothe input circuit, and at least one of the set of eight package pins isconnected to the output circuit.
 3. The calculation board power stagecircuit of claim 2, wherein the set of the eight package pins comprise:a first pin for an upper tube switch control output; a second pin for alower tube switch control output; a third pin for a power stageswitching node connection and an upper tube driving circuit; a fourthpin for inputting a voltage and providing a working bias voltage for anintegrated circuit chip on a calculation board; a fifth pin for areference zero potential; a sixth pin of a DC-DC enable control; aseventh pin for the DC-DC output voltage; and an eighth pin for feedbackcontrol and adjustment of an output voltage.
 4. The calculation boardpower stage circuit of claim 1, wherein the input circuit comprises atleast two semiconductor field effect transistors connected in series,and the semiconductor field effect transistors are electricallyconnected to the package pins.
 5. The calculation board power stagecircuit of claim 1, wherein the output circuit is a voltage stabilizingcircuit for supplying a current and a stable voltage to one or moreintegrated circuit chips to be powered on a calculation board.
 6. Thecalculation board power stage circuit of claim 1, the power supplypackage unit comprising a power supply integrated circuit, an auxiliarycircuit, and one or more control pins, wherein the power supplyintegrated circuit is electrically connected to the auxiliary circuit;the auxiliary circuit outputs to at least one of the control pins; andthe one or more control pins are configured to be connected to one ormore package pins of a calculation board power stage circuit.
 7. Thecalculation board power stage circuit of claim 6, wherein each of thecontrol pins is configured to be electrically connected to acorresponding package pin within a plurality of package pins of acalculation board power stage circuit.
 8. A calculation board,comprising: a power stage circuit, the power stage circuit comprising aninput circuit and an output circuit that are electrically connected toeach other, and a plurality of package pins that are respectivelyconnected to the input circuit and the output circuit; a power supplypackage unit; and an integrated circuit chip to be powered; wherein thepower supply package unit is packaged to connect with the plurality ofpackage pins of the power stage circuit; and the integrated circuit chipis powered by the power stage circuit.
 9. The calculation boardaccording to claim 8, wherein the power supply package unit comprises apower supply integrated circuit, an auxiliary circuit, and one or morecontrol pins.
 10. The calculation board according to claim 9, whereinthe power supply package unit comprises a first power supply integratedcircuit and a corresponding first auxiliary circuit.
 11. The calculationboard according to claim 10, wherein the power supply package unitcomprises a second power supply integrated circuit and a correspondingsecond auxiliary circuit, the second power supply integrated circuit andthe second auxiliary circuit replacing the first power supply integratedcircuit and the first auxiliary circuit.
 12. The calculation boardaccording to claim 8, wherein when there are two or more chips to bepowered, at least two of the chips to be powered are connected inseries.
 13. The calculation board according to claim 8, wherein thepackage pins of the power stage circuit comprise a set of eight packagepins, and at least one of the set of eight package pins is connected tothe input circuit, and at least one of the set of eight package pins isconnected to the output circuit.
 14. The calculation board according toclaim 13, wherein the set of the eight package pins of the power stagecircuit comprise: a first pin for an upper tube switch control output; asecond pin for a lower tube switch control output; a third pin for apower stage switching node connection and an upper tube driving circuit;a fourth pin for inputting a voltage and providing a working biasvoltage for an integrated circuit chip on a calculation board; a fifthpin for a reference zero potential; a sixth pin of a DC-DC enablecontrol; a seventh pin for the DC-DC output voltage; and an eighth pinfor feedback control and adjustment of an output voltage.
 15. Thecalculation board according to claim 8, wherein the input circuitcomprises at least two semiconductor field effect transistors connectedin series, and the semiconductor field effect transistors areelectrically connected to the package pins.
 16. The calculation boardaccording to claim 8, wherein the output circuit power stage circuit ofthe power stage circuit is a voltage stabilizing circuit for supplying acurrent and a stable voltage to one or more integrated circuit chips tobe powered on the calculation board.
 17. The calculation board accordingto claim 8, wherein the auxiliary circuit of the power supply packageunit outputs to one of the control pins of the power supply packageunit; and the one or more control pins are connected to the one or morepackage pins of the calculation board power stage circuit.
 18. Thecalculation board according to claim 17, wherein each of the controlpins of power supply package unit is connected to a correspondingpackage pin within the plurality of package pins of the power stagecircuit.